Argentine wine

The Argentine wine industry is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world. Argentine wine, as with some aspects of Argentine cuisine, has its roots in Spain. During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, vine cuttings were brought to Santiago del Estero in 1557, and the cultivation of the grape and wine production stretched first to neighboring regions, and then to other parts of the country.

Historically, Argentine winemakers were traditionally more interested in quantity than quality with the country consuming 90% of the wine it produces (12 gallons/45 liters a year per capita according to 2006 figures). Until the early 1990s, Argentina produced more wine than any other country outside Europe, though the majority of it was considered unexportable. However, the desire to increase exportsfueled significant advances in quality. Argentine wines started being exported during the 1990s, and are currently growing in popularity, making it now the largest wine exporter in South America. The devaluation of the Argentine peso in 2002 further fueled the industry as production costs decreased and tourism significantly increased, giving way to a whole new concept of enotourism in Argentina.

The most important wine regions of the country are located in the provinces of Mendoza, San Juan and La Rioja. Salta, Catamarca, Río Negro and more recently Southern Buenos Aires are also wine producing regions. The Mendoza province produces more than 60% of the Argentine wine and is the source of an even higher percentage of the total exports. Due to the high altitude and low humidity of the main wine producing regions, Argentine vineyards rarely face the problems of insects, fungi, molds and other grape diseases that affect vineyards in other countries. This allows cultivating with little or no pesticides, enabling even organic wines to be easily produced.

There are many different varieties of grapes cultivated in Argentina, reflecting the country's many immigrant groups. The French broughtMalbec, which makes most of Argentina's best known wines. The Italians brought vines that they called Bonarda, although Argentine Bonarda appears to be the Douce noir of Savoie, also known as Charbono in California. It has nothing in common with the light fruity wines made from Bonarda Piemontese in Piedmont. Torrontés is another typically Argentine grape and is mostly found in the provinces of La Rioja, San Juan, and Salta. It is a member of the Malvasia group that makes aromatic white wines. It has recently been grown in Spain. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah,Chardonnay and other international varieties are becoming more widely planted, but some varieties are cultivated characteristically in certain areas.

In November 2010, the Argentine government declared wine as Argentina's national liquor.

Kids Life in Argentina

Mornings

Although there is some variety when school begins, most children must get up between 7:00 and 7:30 to get ready for school. Breakfast in Argentina usually consists of hard rolls (or toast) and jam with tea or coffee. A favorite drink for young children is called “submarino,” which is milk with chocolate syrup added.

submarino

School

There are no public school buses, so kids will usually walk or ride a public transportation bus to school, depending on the local circumstances. They will catch their bus in time to arrive at school around 8:00. Wealthier parents often drive their children to school.
In country or rural areas, some children will even go to school on horseback. Argentina is home to many large cattle ranches, and children who grow up on such ranches are very comfortable riding horses from the time they are very young. Larger ranches may even have their own one-room school for the children on the ranch to attend.

In the Classroom

In order to create a sense of equality among students, regardless of economic background, students wear standard uniforms consisting of knee-length white smocks over their everyday clothes: the boys’ smocks button down the front, and the girls’ button down the back. The smocks resemble white laboratory coats. Students must buy their own books and uniforms.
Private schools are conducted by churches and other organizations, but they of course charge tuition. Separate programs are available for special needs children.

Schools have varying schedules, but many will have split sessions, with half of the students attending in the morning and half in the afternoon. School sessions provide three 10-minute breaks during each morning and afternoon session.

Learning

One of Latin America’s most frequent problems with education is the number of malnourished children who attend school hungry. Argentina is one of the best countries on the continent for ensuring that its children are fed properly. Certainly a small percentage of poor families cannot provide their children with sufficient nourishment, but only 2% of children under the age of five are considered underweight because a lack of food. Furthermore, almost three-fourths of the entire population has ready access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities.
Recently, the Argentina’s educators has teamed up with some wealthy businessmen to improve the technological part of education. Over 50,000 personal computers have been installed in schools around the country, and the plan is to install another 50,000 before 2008. This is a tremendous asset for educators and provides children with a background that will allow them to get much higher paying jobs because of their familiarity with computers and the Internet.

Spanish is the national language, though it is spoken in many accents, including a significant Italian influence in much of the country. Other languages spoken in the country include German and French.

When students are 14 years old, they take exams that dictate which type of secondary school they can enter. Some schools are for those who plan to attend college, others train children for vocations (business, industries, or trades), and yet others prepare students for teaching primary school.

After School

Sports in Argentina are usually organized by leagues rather than schools. Most youth will pick a sport when they are quiet young and stick with that sport throughout their school-age days. Competition between schools does still happen, however, but they are focused in other areas, such as dance and music. Thus extracurricular activities, when they are offered, involve art, academic clubs, music, dance, and similar activities. 

Free Time

The most popular sport in Argentina is soccer, as in most of Latin America and Europe. However, Argentines also enjoy basketball, rugby, and auto and horse racing. People are friendly and will encourage fun and openness. 

Evenings

Cultural backgrounds are so diverse in Argentina that it is difficult to describe a “typical” Argentinian family. In the primary city of Buenos Aires, in which about one-third of the entire population of the country lives, there is a saying that a citizen there “speaks Spanish, eats Italian, dresses like a Frenchman, and thinks he is an Englishman.”  
Fathers are considered the head of the family, while mothers are in charge of the home—although in recent years women have become more active in business and affairs outside of the home. Grandparents will often live with extended families and help care for the younger children while parents work, and newlywed couples usually live with parents until they are financially able to move out on their own.

Argentinians usually eat four meals per day: a light breakfast, lunch, a small dish of cheeses or snacks following work, and dinner in the evening. The late afternoon light meal probably comes from a British influence of having afternoon tea. Empanadas, which are little pies filled with meats, seafood, or vegetables are a popular snack, one which children often take with them to school and which can be easily purchased from street vendors, along with warm peanuts, sweet popcorn, fruit, and similar “fast foods.” Traditional evening meals are eaten after nine in the evening. Argentina is known throughout the world for its superb beef, and many evening meals include pasta and beef, accompanied by maté, a native tea like beverage.

What do you want to know about Argentina?

Argentina

The People

Argentines are very proud of their country and culture. They are well-educated and sophisticated and like to be viewed as cosmopolitan and progressive. Because 85% of Argentina’s population hails from Italy, Spain, Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Poland and the Middle East, Argentines tend to identify with Europeans. It has been said that Argentines are a nation of Italians who speak Spanish and think they’re British living in Paris. Predominantly Catholic (93%), families are highly valued and hold conservative values.

Meeting and Greeting

• A handshake and nod show respect when greeting someone.
• An embrace and one kiss on the cheek is common between friends and acquaintances.

Dining and Entertainment

• Meals are for socializing. Refrain from “talking business” unless your Argentine colleague brings it up.
• Business dinners are generally held in restaurants. When you are the host, arrange payment ahead of time. If this is not possible, insist on paying when the bill comes.
• Don’t use toothpicks, blow your nose or clear your throat at the table.
• To summon a waiter, raise your hand with your index finger extended.
• Do not order imported liquor unless your host does. Taxes are exorbitant.
• Avoid pouring wine, which is a complex ritual in Argentina.
• For social events, arrive thirty to sixty minutes late. Arriving at a party on time is impolite.
• Be on time for lunch appointments, the theater and soccer.

Dress

• Argentines are extremely fashion conscious. Dress well if you want to make a good impression. Conservative, modest clothing is best.
• Women are expected to dress with a flair that does not detract from professionalism.

Corporate Culture

• Personal relationships are important and must be developed before business is done.
• Argentines often need several meetings and extensive discussion to make deals.
• Decisions are made at the top. Try to arrange meeting with high-level personnel.
• Guests at a meeting are greeted and escorted to their chairs. The visiting senior executive is seated opposite the Argentine senior executive.
• During business meetings, sustain a relaxed manner, maintain eye contact and restrict the use of gestures. Don’t take a hard sell approach.
• Be prepared for a certain amount of small talk before getting down to business.
• Argentines are tough negotiators. Concessions will not come quickly or easily. Good relationships with counterparts will shorten negotiations.
• Contracts are lengthy and detailed. A contract is not final until all of its elements are signed. Any portion can be re-negotiated. Get everything in writing.
• An Argentine contact is essential to wading through government bureaucracy.
• Be punctual for business appointments, but prepare to wait thirty minutes for your counterpart, especially if you are meeting an important person.
• The pace of business in Argentina is slower than in the United States. A meeting that is going well could last much longer than intended, even if it means postponing the next engagement.
• Make appointments through a high-level person. Your Argentine contact can help with this.
• Confirm meetings one week in advance.

La Fête de la Musique 2013

             21st June, on this longest day of the year, we will begin the celebration and discover the various independent  live bands at every corner of the Paris streets!

              Every year on the 21st of June, Paris explodes with a wide range of music events and festivities that are all part of La Fête de la Musique, a citywide homage to World Music Day.

Founded in 1982 by France’s then Minister of Culture – who was inspired by an original concept developed by American musician Joel Cohen in the 70s – La Fête de la Musique has since spread to cities all over the globe, and remains an incredible chance to see free concerts all over the City of Light.

Finding a place to catch a Fête de la Musique show isn’t difficult, as pretty much every neighborhood in Paris takes part in the event, with hundreds of bars, cafés, restaurants, and traditional live music venues hosting bands that perform in practically any style imaginable.

            Even the streets get busy with performers at La Fête de la Musique, and many locations stay bustling well into dawn as thousands of people gather to take part in the fun.Museums, train stations, castles, parks, and even prisons are known to host a Fête de la Musique concert, so your best bet is to check the latest calendar to see who is playing where. Organizers usually post an up-to-date program up to a month in advance. Better yet, just venture out completely blind and eventually stumble in to the best band you never knew existed! And there are always a lot of impromptu performances happening that are not on the calendar as well. Just keep in mind that, with so much going on all over Paris, you can expect the metro to be packed – even more than it normally is – on June 21st.

Tahiti Island

Better known by the name of its main island, Tahiti, French Polynesia is a mesmerizing wonderland of reef-fringed islands and translucent aqua lagoons. Shamelessly chic and seductive, it's the kind of place where the rich and famous come to play and hedonistic honeymoon fantasies are realized  The epitome of the Pacific dream, this is one Garden of Eden so damn beautiful it's hard to believe it really exists.

ตาฮิติ เป็นเกาะที่ใหญ่ที่สุดในหมู่เกาะโซซิเอเต้ ซึ่งขึ้นอยู่กับหมู่เกาะว็องต์ (Vent) อีกทอดหนึ่ง บรรยากาศของตาฮิติเย็นสบายด้วยลมทะเลที่โชยพัดอยู่ตลอดเวลา และเป็น สวรรค์ของคู่รักที่นิยมเดินทางมาดื่มน้ำผึ้งพระจันทร์กัน 

 สภาพภูมิประเทศของเกาะนี้เป็นภูเขาไฟที่เรียงต่อกันเป็นทะเลภูเขาพุ่งยอดแหลมสูงเสียดเมฆ รอบเกาะเป็นแนวปะการัง มีลากูนน้ำใสสลับสีเขียวสีฟ้า และมีหาดทรายสีดำ หรือขาวดูน่าตื่นตา

 พื้นที่และสีสันของเกาะบริเวณนี้มีเฉดที่ไล่ระดับจนประทับใจจิตรกรเอกอย่างโกแก็ง จนถ่ายทอดออกมาเป็นภาพที่งามบันลือโลก ณ ที่นี้คุณจะได้มาพักผ่อนและสนุกสนานกับ กีฬาหลายประเภท เช่น กอล์ฟ ดำน้ำ เดินป่าหรือขี่ม้า และที่สำคัญที่สุดผู้คนชาวตาฮิติมีอัธยาศัยไมตรีและยินดีต้อนรับทุกคนที่ไปเยือน 

การไปตาฮิติ ต้องไปช่วงเดือน พฤษภาคม - ตุลาคม เพราะเป็นช่วงที่ฝนตกน้อย

ขอขอบคุณข้อมูลและภาพสวยๆ จาก : 

http://www.ambafrance-th.org  

http://travel.webshots.com 

http://farm1.static.flickr.com 

http://gawk.net.nz 

http://www.flightglobal.com 

http://www.airtahitinui.co.nz 

http://www.orangesmile.com 

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées

 Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a street in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Champs-Élysées is arguably the most famous street—and one of the most expensive strips of real estate—in the world.^[1] Several French monuments are also on the street, including the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. The name is French for Elysian Fields, the place of the blessed dead in Greek mythology. According to a much used description, the Champs-Élysées is la plus belle avenue du monde ("the most beautiful avenue in the world").

อาเวอนูว์เดช็องเซลีเซ  เป็นถนนในเขตที่ 8 ของกรุงปารีส ประเทศฝรั่งเศส เป็นย่านการค้าที่ประกอบด้วยโรงละคร คาเฟ่ และร้านค้าหรูหรา สองข้างทางมีต้นเกาลัดที่ได้รับการตกแต่งอย่างสวยงามปลูกเรียงราย ชื่อ "ช็องเซลีเซ" มาจากคำว่า "ทุ่งเอลิเซียม" จากเทพปกรณัมกรีกในภาษาฝรั่งเศส

ช็องเซลีเซได้รับการขนานนามว่าเป็นถนนที่สวยที่สุดในโลก (La plus belle avenue du monde) โดยมีอัตราค่าเช่าสูงถึง 1.5 ล้านดอลลาร์สหรัฐต่อปี สำหรับพื้นที่ 1000 ตารางฟุต (93 ตารางเมตร) สูงที่สุดในยุโรป 

ช็องเซลีเซเดิมเป็นท้องทุ่งและสวน จนกระทั่งปี ค.ศ. 1616 เมื่อมารี เดอ เมดิชิ สมเด็จพระราชินีนาถแห่งฝรั่งเศส ทรงขยายพื้นที่บริเวณสวนหย่อมของพระราชวังตุยเลอรี (Palais des Tuileries) เป็นถนนที่มีต้นไม้สองข้างทาง ในปี ค.ศ. 1724 ได้รับการขยายไปเชื่อมกับจัตุรัสแห่งดวงดาว (Place de l'Étoile ปัจจุบันเปลี่ยนชื่อเป็นจัตุรัสชาร์ล เดอ โกล ที่เป็นที่ตั้งของประตูชัยฝรั่งเศส)

Trouve les cinq différences entre Tom et Nino.

Tom et Nino sont très différents: Tom est blond et Nino est brun,Tom a les yeux bleus et Nino a les yeux bruns,Tom porte un T-shirt rouge et Nino porte un T-shirt noir,Tom porte des baskets blanc et Nino porte des baskets vert,Tom n'a pas une casquette et Nino a une casquette rouge.